The present invention relates to a method of treating elastic materials that are provided with silica embedments.
It is known in the state of the art in many technical applications to provide elastic or elastomeric materials, such as plastics, especially polyethylene (PE) or polyvinylchloride (PVC), as well as rubber latex or the like, with silica embedments during the manufacturing process.
During the processing of plastics this takes place for example during the extrusion process. During the later technical or industrial applications, the silica embedments assume technical functions.
One generally known application is, for example, the manufacture of separators for lead plates in the production of storage cell pores. These separators are, for example, extruded PE foils, which have, for example, ribs and in all regions silica embedments as pore formers. From such foils, separators or pockets are manufactured for the lead plates of a cell unit of a storage battery.
During the industrial applications of the elastic materials that are provided with silica embedments, the material is frequently handled in regions of very differing moisture and temperatures. Thus, the elastic materials with the silica embedments are on the one hand subjected to processes where they absorb moisture and on the other hand are subjected to processes where they are dried. This leads to an undesired shrinking during the drying process.
Starting from this state of the art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of treating elastic materials that are provided with silica embedments which makes it possible to minimize or avoid shrinkage.